Scientists May Have Spotted Brain's 'Numbers Center'

THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- The area of the brain that's activated when people look at numerals such as "7" and "60" has been pinpointed by researchers.

This spot is only about one-fifth of an inch across and consists of 1 million to 2 million nerve cells in the inferior temporal gyrus, the Stanford University School of Medicine researchers said.

The inferior temporal gyrus is known to be involved in the processing of visual information.

Researchers also found that, relative to neighboring areas, activity in this newly identified spot substantially decreased when people viewed numbers that were spelled out ("one" instead of "1"), homophones ("won" instead of "1") or false fonts in which a number or letter had been altered.

"This is the first-ever study to show the existence of a cluster of nerve cells in the human brain that specializes in processing numerals," Dr. Josef Parvizi, an associate professor of neurology and neurological sciences and director of Stanford's human intracranial cognitive electrophysiology program, said in a school news release.

"In this small nerve-cell population, we saw a much bigger response to numerals than to very similar-looking, similar-sounding and similar-meaning symbols," he explained.

The study in the April 17 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience could open the door to further discoveries about how math is processed in the brain, the news release suggested. It may also help researchers find new ways to help people with dyslexia for numbers and those unable to process numerical information, a disorder called dyscalculia.

Parvizi added that the finding is "a dramatic demonstration of our brain circuitry's capacity to change in response to education. No one is born with the innate ability to recognize numerals."

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved. SOURCE: Stanford University, news release, April 16, 2013

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Is it ok to have missed periods for 6 months?

I'm 14, 5'5" and I used to be 140 pounds but I lose weight and now I'm at 122. I started this dieting in February, but my last period I remember was in late December. I think I lost my period from dieting, but it makes me wonder since I didn't get my period one month before I started the dieting (maybe it would've just been late...I don't know) I'm at a good weight now so I'm going back up to maintenance calories (1800-2100). Most people have told me that by eating enough my body will soon adjust and get my period back, but I don't know how long that will take, or if it will even work. I really don't want to go to the doctor because if my mom knew that I went on a diet and lost 18 pounds she'd freak out. I'd like to just wait maybe 6 more months and see If it will come back, but will this be damaging to my health to potentially not have a period that long? If I didn't lose my period from dieting, is it normal for teens to have missed their periods for more than 6 months? Thanks!

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Doutzen Kroes at the Tiffany & Co Blue Book ball

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Should I be worried about the new kind of “bird flu” discovered in China?

Posted June 17, 2013, 2:00 am

I heard that a dangerous new kind of “bird flu” was recently discovered in China. Should we in the United States be worried?

You’re right: In March 2013, cases of a brand-new kind of bird flu were discovered in China. One of the hardest things to predict is what will happen when a new strain of the influenza (“flu”) virus first infects humans. I’m not exaggerating when I say it could turn out to pose no threat at all in the U.S., or it could be truly terrible.

The world is full of different flu viruses. Most of them infect just animals, often just one type of animal. Sometimes they are able to jump from one type of animal to another. Sometimes they are even able to jump from animals to humans.

Flu viruses are so unpredictable because they are constantly changing or mutating their genes. (Genes are sections of DNA that control specific characteristics of an agent, such as a flu virus.) They also are constantly swapping their genes with the genes of other flu viruses. When they change or swap their genes, they change their character.

There are two questions to ask about the character of every new flu virus that affects humans: how easily is it spread from one person to another, and how sick does it make the people it infects? Its assortment of genes determines the answer to those questions.

When a new virus spreads easily between people, and if it makes people very sick, there is a lot to worry about.

How bad can a flu virus be? The worst flu outbreak for which we have good records occurred in 1918. A new virus was born that spread easily between people and made people very sick. In the course of a few months, 30 percent of the people in the world caught the virus, and at least 20 million people died. That’s more than were killed in World War I.

From what we know about this new flu virus, called H7N9, it has jumped from chickens and ducks to humans in eastern China. It is not yet clear whether it has spread from one human to another. It has made some people very sick and there have been several deaths.

The latest numbers were reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on April 29, 2013. China had reported 126 human cases of the new flu. The people affected have been older (average age in their 60s), and many have had chronic illnesses. So far, many fewer children and young adults have been infected.

The CDC and scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are working overtime to protect our health. They are doing what they can despite the fact that the funding for these two critically important federal agencies has been cut by the “sequester.” Regardless of what you think about federal spending in general, if you are against cutting funding for health research and public health, your representatives in Congress can do something about that.

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Katy Perry speaks at the I Create Music Expo in Los Angeles

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anorexia recovery

Hi I'm a 20 year old male and I've been suffering with anorexia for years.I've got a fairly healthy weight at the moment but I do find it very hard as I still have anorexic thoughts and I would really love to move forward. I just wondered if there's any genuine people out there in a similair position who would like to chat about their day to day problems with anorexia If so I would like to hear from you-either PM or post on here

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Health Tip: Resolve to Meet Your Exercise Goals

(HealthDay News) -- Don't sit idly by as your New Year's resolutions about exercise slip away with the passing months.

The American Council on Exercise suggests how you can meet your fitness goals all year long:

Make sure your goals are attainable and realistic, and that you include short-term goals.Resolve to make a series of small changes that add up to big results.Be specific. Instead of resolving to exercise more, plan on a particular activity on certain days of the week.Make sure your goals are based on your personal, strong desire to make changes for yourself, not someone else.Get creative in finding ways to exercise, such as walking more during errands.Plan for obstacles, and remember to reward yourself when you succeed.Create a support system to help you stick with your goals.

-- Diana Kohnle
Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Dakota Fanning at the Orphans' play opening night

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massive update

Hi!! 

So over the weekend I've been having lots of tests, medical and psychiatric, so that my discharge can be planned! And this morning i had my review :)

so most of you know that i've been in hospital/inpatient for...8 months ish now? when i first started posting here as an ill 13 year old with a bmi around 10, a heart rate of 35bpm, breathing difficulties, serious incontinence, inability to walk properly etc etc people thought i was going to die.

but following my review i can assure you all that i have beaten anorexia nervosa. 

my bmi is up from just over 10, to 17.8. 

my heart rate is at a perfectly healthy 80bpm, over double what my recovery began with!

i am very energetic, i can breathe and walk normally and am almost ready to return to ballet classes. 

my bladder muscle has pretty much fully restrengthened and whilst i SOMETIMES (happened yesterday for the first time in 17 days, and only happened because i am now weaning off my incontinence pills) do still wet myself i'm definitely almost back to normal!

i have A LOT of home leave these days and i've been able to enjoy days out with my mum and with my friends

i am enjoying my food and feeling much better about myself. there's now 'a boy' on the scene hehe, and if i was ill i know that wouldn't happen! i also think i might be starting my period soon...

so, yeah :)

recovery can be done :)

i'm always here for advice x

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Study: THIS Common Pre-Marathon Habit Could Cause Serious Side Effects

It's been a scary week for marathon runners; it feels weird to write anything marathon-related right now without addressing that first. But once we take a step back, we know that, ultimately, running is still good for us -- more likely to do our bodies good than to do them harm. Now, however, a new study shows a potential danger that many marathoners face every time they toe the line. And it's due to a common pre-race ritual -- one that I've definitely done, and you probably have, too!

So what should we NOT be doing before a race? Popping painkillers. Everyday OTCs like aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can cause serious side effects when paired with endurance sports, says the study, published today in the online journal BMJ Open -- serious enough to affect your performance, or even land you in the hospital.

When German researchers surveyed nearly 4,000 runners after a local marathon and half marathon, 49 percent of respondents said they'd popped pain meds beforehand in hopes of a pain-free race. But overall, the medicated runners were five times more likely to suffer complications during or after the event, including stomach cramps, cardiovascular problems, gastrointestinal bleeds, blood in their urine, and joint and muscle pain.

Those who took medication were slightly less likely to drop out of the race due to muscle cramps -- but more likely to drop out because of GI distress (which, if you ask me, is worse than a little knee pain). Nine of them also ended up in the hospital for kidney failure, bleeding ulcers, or heart attacks, compared to none of the non-medicated runners. Taking more than the recommended dosage -- as 43 percent of ibuprofen users in the study did -- raised the risk of side effects significantly.

Painkillers prevent the formation of prostaglandins, hormone-like substances involved in the body's inflammatory process. But, the authors say, prostaglandins also protect the body under extreme stress (e.g. marathon running), and without them, we're at risk for more serious injury.

Bottom line? Use pain meds sparingly, and only when you really need them. And if you're relying on them to get through your workouts, talk to your doctor about a safer, longer-term solution. Stay safe out there, runners!

Do you ever pop pain meds before a run? Will this change your mind about it? Tweet us at @amandaemac and @SELFmagazine.

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Image Credit: Arthur Belebeau

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Zyprexa

Just wondering what others experiences have been on zyprexa?

I've been on and off it for a good 3 years and I'm a good 15kg over my where I feel happy. I'm on 7.5mg at the moment but I have a feeling it will be upped to 10mg tomorrow as my symptoms have increased.

Have others experienced weight gain? And at what dose? I've been on as high as 15mg before. My doctor says it doesn't cause weight gain, but it does. It makes me want to eat and eat. However I've tried pretty much every other atypical antipsychotic there is and the only other one that really work was respiridone and that caused lacatation so I had to come off it (it didn't cause weight gain or increased appetite so that's a bummer). I'm just at a loss at what to do next. I try and stick to a mealplan that my dietitian has made up which seems fine but I have been going over it by a fair bit because I just crave sugary food so much- chocolate to be specific. I try and keep it out of the house, but that isn't always possible unfortunately and if it isn't there then I'll eat something else processed which occassionally leave to purging (like 1-2 times a week).

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Doutzen Kroes V Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman rocked the very same style dress to the Golden Globes more than a year before Doetzen. As a longtime Lanvin-fan, it was no surprise to find Ms P wearing a fashion-forward gown designed by Elber Albaz. Opinions were mixed when the Black Swan star wore this during award season, but our fashion editor Dana loved it even then.

WINNER: It has to be Natalie, hands down - if only for having the fashion foresight to pick this on-trend look a full 15 months before it would really hit its stride. Also Nat's updo allows the gown to do the talking, but in our heart of hearts we still can't totally fault Doutzen for opting for curls that glossy.

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Weekend Project! DIY Waterproof Coasters

Meet one of SELF's Editorial Assistants, Alyssa. When's she not scoping out the latest pop culture trends for our Entertainment department, Alyssa can usually be found DIYing. We tap into her craftiness to find out what she's whipping up every week.

As I get older (and yes, I know 23 isn't really "old"), I go through more and more life stages with my friends -- and right now, we're all heavily into the "moving out" phase.

With so many apartment-warming parties to go to, I needed a few unique gift options (Because really, how many tea kettles does one apartment need?), and these DIY photo coasters seemed like the perfect solution. You can take creative license with these and use whatever image you want -- one ripped out of a magazine, printed off a camera, or in my case, a few of your Instagram photos. (We love the site Prinstagram for printing ours!)

You'll need:

4 plain coasters (we got ours for under $8 at Crate and Barrel)Mod Podge in "Glossy"A sponge brushClear Acrylic gloss spray

Trim your photos to the size of the coasters, making the image end slightly before the edges of the coaster. Coat the back of your chosen photo with a generous dose of Mod Podge (but not too much -- you want it to dry, after all!).

Let the Mod Podge dry for about 15 seconds, then place your coaster over the photo and press gently, adhering it to the sticky side of the photo. Allow it to dry for at least 20 minutes without picking it up (Patience, students.)

One the photo is applied to the coaster, it's time to topcoat. You're going to want to coat the image and coaster with at least three coats of Mod Podge, allowing it to dry for 15 minutes (or until clear) between coats.

Once the final coat has dried, spray all of the coasters with a clear acrylic gloss spray, which ensures that they're waterproof/drink proof. Because you know you'll be putting a few margaritas on these babies!

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